Construction site hole cap for covering holes

ABSTRACT

A hole cover is provided for covering holes formed in the walking surfaces at construction job sites. The hole cover includes a cap having a top surface, a bottom surface and an edge. In addition, the cap includes a plurality of bores which project vertically from the cap&#39;s top surface to the bottom surface. The hole cover further includes a plurality of pins which are positioned within the bores. Each pin includes a head and shaft. The pins are sufficiently long so that once positioned within the bores, the pins extend downwardly so as to project into a construction site hole which is intended to be covered.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to safety devices for construction sites.More specifically, the invention relates to safety devices for coveringholes formed in the floor at many job sites.

Workers face a variety of hazards while working on a construction site.One of the more prevalent hazards is caused by holes formed in walkingsurfaces. These holes are formed in the construction of flooring for theintroduction of drains, electrical wiring, water piping, lightingsystems, etc. Typically, these holes are only a few inches wide, far toosmall for an adult to fall into. However, they do provide a trippinghazard. Moreover, wheeled objects such as wheelbarrows, dollies, andother contraptions can be inadvertently rolled into these surface holes.Open holes can also be troublesome because various constructionequipment such as nuts, bolts, brackets, and tools are prone to fallinto such holes. This presents a safety hazard in multistory buildingsto workers below.

In an effort to address these construction site hazards, the UnitedStates Department of Occupational Safety and Health Administration(“OSHA”) has promulgated a variety of regulations in an effort toincrease the safety at job sites. These regulations include 29 C.F.R.§1910.23 (e)(7) et seq; 29 C.F.R. §1910.23 (9) and 29 C.F.R.§1926.502(i) et. seq. which relate to the construction of floor openingcovers. C.F.R. §1926.502(i) et. seq. which relate to the construction offloor opening covers. These sections states that hole covers may be ofany material that meets a specific strength requirement that the coverwill effectively support two times the weight of employees, equipmentand materials that may be imposed on the cover at any one time. OSHArequirements also state that covers will leave no openings more than 1″wide, that the covers can not project more than 1″ above the floor leveland that all edges must be chamfered to an angle of not more than 30degrees from the horizontal. The OSHA requirements also dictate that allhinges, handles, bolts and other parts shall set flush with the floor orcover surface, and that covers shall be color-coded or marked with theword “HOLE” or “COVER” to provide warning of hazard. Furthermore, thecover must be secured in place over a hole so as to prevent accidentaldisplacement by the wind, equipment, or employees.

Attempts have been made to comply with the OSHA requirements. Forexample, U.S. patent application Ser. No. 10/724,583 describes a coverfor covering construction site holes. The cover includes a disk-like capand a stem which projects downwardly from the cap. The stem is sized tofit precisely into the opening of a man-made construction hole.Unfortunately, because the stem is sized to fit only one size hole,various sizes of such covers would be required to be maintained on a jobsite.

Therefore, there is a significant need for an improved cover which isadaptable to fit a variety of sizes of construction site holes.

There is also a need for a cover which complies with OSHA requirements.

There is also a need for a cover which is sufficiently inexpensive tomanufacture and buy that contractors wouldn't think twice aboutpurchasing such covers.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention addresses the aforementioned disadvantages byproviding an improved cover for covering holes formed in the walkingsurfaces at construction job sites.

The cover includes a planar cap for covering the hole. The cap has asubstantially flat top surface, a flat bottom surface for engaging thehole and walking surface, and an edge. The cap may be constructed invarious shapes and sizes. For example, where the hole to be covered iscircular, which is very common, the cap will typically have a disk-likestructure having a circular edge. Meanwhile, where a hole to be coveredis rectangular, the cover's cap would likewise preferably berectangular.

The hole cover of the present invention further includes a plurality ofbores which project through the cap from the cap's top surface to thecap's bottom surface. In addition, the hole cover of the presentinvention includes a plurality of pins which are removably positionedwithin the bores so as to project from the cap's top surface through thecap to extend downwardly below the cap's bottom surface. In addition,the pins preferably include a head, similar to the head of a nail, andthe bores include a recess at the cap's top surface. The recesses aresized for receipt of the pin's head so that when the pins are positionedwithin the bores, the pins heads are flush with the cap's top surface.

The cover's bores are preferably arranged in a pattern including severaldiscrete sets of bores. In a preferred embodiment, a first set includestwo to four bores spaced equal distance from the cap's center verticalaxis. For example, a preferred construction includes a set of threebores spaced 1” from the hole's central axis. In addition, the holecover preferably includes additional sets of bores spaced equal distancefrom the cover's central axis. For example, a preferred hole cover mayinclude additional sets of bores spaced 2″ and 4″ from the cover'scentral axis.

As would be understood by one skilled in the art, pins would typicallynot be placed in every bore when the hole cover was used to cover ahole. For example, when covering a hole having a 2″ diameter, pins areplaced in the bore's located 1″ from the cap's center axis so as to bespaced apart sufficiently to engage the inner sidewalls of a hole whenthe hole cover was positioned in place. Likewise, when covering a holehaving a 4″ diameter, pins are positioned within the bores located 2″from the cap's central axis. Thereafter, the hole cover is positioned sothat the pins extend through the bores and into the hole to be covered.Lateral movement of the hole cover is thereby restricted by the pinsengaging the hole's interior sidewalls.

Various modifications of the present invention can be made. For example,the cap can have a substantially dome-like structure having asubstantially spherical curved surface. Alternatively, the cap can havea truncated shape including a periphery portion which projects upwardlyat an angle of less that 30 degrees terminating at a flat horizontal topsurface.

The cap and pins can be made of a variety of materials including metalsand plastics. However, preferably the cap and pins are made from highstrength, impact resistant lightweight plastics such as polyethylene,acrylonitrile butadiene styrene (ABS) polyvinylchloride (PVC), etc.

Accordingly, it is a principal object of the present invention toprovide a hole cover for covering holes found at construction job sites.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a coverwhich complies with OSHA requirements.

It is still another object of the present invention to provide a coverwhich is adaptable for covering a variety of sized holes.

These and other further and more specific objects and advantages of thepresent invention will be apparent to those skilled in the art from thefollowing detailed description taken in conjunction with the drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view illustrating use of the hole cover of thepresent invention within a construction job site;

FIG. 2 is top perspective view of a hole cover of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a bottom perspective view of the hole cover shown in FIG. 3;

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view of a second embodiment of the holecover of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a top perspective view illustrating a third embodiment of ahole cover of the present invention;

FIG. 6 is a side cut-way view of the hole cover shown in FIG. 2; and

FIG. 7 is a side cut-away view of the hole cover shown in FIG. 4.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While the present invention is susceptible of embodiment in variousforms, as shown in the drawings, hereinafter will be described thepresently preferred embodiments of the invention with the understandingthat the present disclosure is to be considered as an exemplification ofthe invention and it is not intended to limit the invention to thespecific embodiments illustrated.

With reference to FIGS. 1-7, the hole cover 1 of the present inventionincludes a cap 3 and a plurality of pins 25. The cap 3 includes a topsurface 5, a bottom surface 7 and an edge 9. The cap may take variousforms. For example, as shown in FIGS. 2-4, the cap may be round toprovide a circular edge 9 where the intended hole to be covered is around hole. Where the hole intended to be covered is rectangular,including square holes, the cap may take a rectangular shape as shown inFIG. 5. In addition, the bottom surface 7 is preferably flat to engage asubstantially flat walking surface. Conversely, the top surface may bespherical, as shown in FIG. 2. Alternatively, the top surface may take atruncated form as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5. Where the cap has a truncatedform, the cap's top surface 5 will have a planer horizontal surface. Inaddition, the cap will include an angled periphery portion 15 whichextends inwardly and upwardly from the cap's edge 9 to the cap's topsurface 5. To comply with OSHA requirements, this periphery portion mustextend at an angle of 30 degrees or less from the horizontal plane.

The cap 3 further includes a plurality of vertical bores 19 which have arecess 21 formed at the bore's upper extremity. The cap's bores arearranged in geometric patterns about the cap which are preferably spacedequal distance from the cap's central vertical axis. For example, FIGS.4 and 5 illustrate a circular cap and a rectangular cap, respectively,both of which include a first set 23 of bore's 19 which are spaced 1″from the cap's center. As shown in FIG. 4, preferably a circular capincludes three bores for each set 23, while a rectangular cap includes aset of four bores. Preferably, the cap includes a plurality of sets ofbores. For example, as shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, each cap includes asecond set 24 of bore's 9 in which each bore is spaced 2″ from the cap'scentral vertical axis as well as additional sets of bores spaced evenfurther from the cap's center.

The hole cover's pins 25 have an elongate shaft 29 and a pin head 27 toform a construction very similar to that of a flat headed nail. As shownin FIGS. 4 and 7, the pin's shaft is sized to telescopically slidewithin the bores 19 until the pin heads 27 rest within the bore's recess21 so that the pin heads 27 are flush with the cap's top surface 5.

As would be understood by construction site workers, the hole cover ofthe present invention can be utilized to cover a variety of differentsized holes. For example, with reference to FIGS. 1-4, a constructionsite having a circular hole having a 6″ diameter formed in theconstruction site's walking surface 33 can be covered utilizing acircular hole cover 1. Three pins 25 are placed within the bores 19which are spaced 3″ from the cap's center vertical axis. As shown inFIG. 1, the hole cover 1 is then positioned so that the pins projectinto the hole so as to be positioned adjacent to the hole's sidewalls37. The hole cover is thereby prevented from moving horizontally by thepins engaging the hole's sidewalls.

Meanwhile, where a smaller walking surface hole 35 is found, the samehole cover 1 can be utilized by moving the pins 25 inward to reside inbores located closer to the cap's center. For example, covering acircular hole having a 2″ diameter can be accomplished by utilizing thehole covers shown in FIGS. 1-4 by placing pins 25 into the bores 19which are positioned closest to the cap's central vertical axis.Thereafter, the hole cover is positioned to cover the hole, with thepins 25 once again projecting into the hole to prevent horizontalmovement of the hole cover.

While several particular forms of the invention have been illustratedand described, it will be apparent that various modifications can bemade without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Forexample, the hole cover can be made by any number of materials, thoughvarious plastics are preferred. In addition, the cap can be constructedto be substantially solid. Alternatively, to save weight, it can beconstructed to be substantially hollow including a plurality of ribs 17for structural rigidity (see FIG. 3).

1. A construction site hole cover for covering holes formed in walking:surfaces, the hole cover comprising: a cap having a top surface, abottom surface and a edge; a plurality of bores projecting through saidcap from said top surface to said bottom surface; and a plurality ofpins projecting downwardly through said plurality of bores to below saidbottom surface for projecting into a surface hole and for restrictinglateral displacement of said hole cover.
 2. A construction site holecover of claim 1 wherein said cap has a cental vertical axis and saidplurality of bores and corresponding pins are positioned concentricallyabout said central vertical axis to form at least one set ofconcentrically aligned bores for allowing said pins to project into awalking surface hole.
 3. A construction site hole cover of claim 2wherein cover includes at least two sets of concentrically aligned boresfor allowing said pins to project into a walking surface hole forcovering holes of different sizes with the hole cover.
 4. A constructionsite hole cover of claim 1 wherein said cap has a circular edge to forma disc-like structure.
 5. A construction site hole cover of claim 1wherein said cap has a rectangular edge.
 6. A construction site holecover for covering holes formed in walking surfaces, the hole covercomprising: a substantially disc-like cap having a top surface, a bottomsurface and a circular edge; a plurality of bores projecting throughsaid disk-like cap from said top surface to said bottom surface; and aplurality of pins projecting downwardly through said plurality of boresto below said bottom surface for projecting into a surface hole and forrestricting lateral displacement of said hole cover.
 7. A constructionsite hole cover of claim 6 wherein said disc-like cap has a centalvertical axis and said plurality of bores and corresponding pins arepositioned concentrically about said central vertical axis to form atleast one set of concentrically aligned bores for allowing said pins toproject into a walking surface hole.
 8. A construction site hole coverof claim 7 wherein cover includes at least two sets of concentricallyaligned bores for allowing said pins to project into a walking surfacehole for covering holes of different sizes with the hole cover.
 9. Aconstruction site hole cover for covering holes formed in walkingsurfaces, the hole cover comprising: a substantially rectangular capincluding a substantially flat top, a substantially flat bottom and arectangular edge; a plurality of bores projecting through saidrectangular cap from said top surface to said bottom surface; and aplurality of pins projecting downwardly through said plurality of boresto below said bottom surface for projecting into a surface hole and forrestricting lateral displacement of said hole cover.
 10. A constructionsite hole cover of claim 9 wherein said disc-like cap has a centalvertical axis and said plurality of bores and corresponding pins arepositioned concentrically about said central vertical axis to form atleast one set of concentrically aligned bores for allowing said pins toproject into a walking surface hole.
 11. A construction site hole coverof claim 10 wherein cover includes at least two sets of concentricallyaligned bores for allowing said pins to project into a walking surfacehole for covering holes of different sizes with the hole cover.